Painters were rated even higher than mosaicists amongst craftsmen associated with buildings. But it is wrong to divide paintings from mosaics, as they would have been viewed as part of the overall plan of decoration.
Paintings take place on prepared plaster surfaces. The number of coats of plaster that need to be built up before painting starts can vary. Vitruvius writing from a metropolitan and perfectionist view argues for seven coats of plaster, including the first, render coat. In Britain two seem to be usual. The last coat can be as thin as a brush-applied lime-wash. The fewer the coats, the rougher the final finish.
When it comes to the nature of the paints used in Britain, containers with natural pigments in them have been found. Scientific analysis has given us the range of colours that we definitely know were being used in Britain. These include white, black, blue, yellow, green and red. White can come from chalk, black from soot, and other colours from natural stones or earths. Blue is the most difficult coming from a coarse grained glassy pigment. Other colours can be produced by mixing these pigments - blue and yellow produce green, red and blue purple and so on.
The basic method of painting used is called 'fresco'. The pigments are applied while the plaster is still damp and are firmed up and consolidated by a chemical reaction, as the water in the pigment and the plaster evaporates and brings the lime to the surface. This forms a layer of lime-water over the painting which dries and protects it. Surviving Roman wall paintings show brush strokes in the paint and the brush bristle marks in the plaster. There are other cases of imperfections in the plaster caused by the painters themselves touching it while they were working. This way of working needs close team work, with the plasterer just ahead of the painter as the work has to be finished before the plaster dries. Divisions can be seen in the way the plaster is built up, usually working from the top down, outlining the major elements first then filling in.
Another way of painting is tempera, a mixture of pigment and medium. The medium to be mixed with the pigment needs to be one that will effectively stick the pigment to the surface. One of the most commonly used mediums is egg and analysis suggests that beeswax, animal glue or even stale beer have also been used. This form of painting is more fragile than the 'wet plaster' approach but can be used once the plaster has dried, allowing retrospective painting.
There is evidence for the insertion of prepared panels of paintings into decorative schemes. This could be because of the prefabrication of panels off-site or the preservation for re-use of elements of earlier wall paintings. In this, it is a bit like having 'Old Masters' hanging on your walls. But it shows the value placed on paintings as works of art.
Paint pots seem to have often been made from what was at hand, often using old part broken pots, especially the bases. There is also evidence for the use of larger flatter pieces of broken pottery as palettes, along with oyster shells.
It is also possible that the outside of the villa might have been painted. It would have been lime-washed white as a weather protection but it could also have had pretend stone blocks outlined in red paint and even details such as columns painted on it to make it look better from a distance. This strong impact would probably been just the effect the villa owner would have wanted!
Created 15 November 2003 - Updated 15 November 2003